Middletown: Shasta County’s forgotten Gold Rush town

Middletown — Shasta County’s forgotten Gold Rush town

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Jeremy Tuggle

Originally Appeared on A News Cafe

About six miles west of present-day Redding, in the rolling country between the historic town of Shasta and the old mining settlements along Clear Creek, once stood Middletown. Today almost nothing remains to suggest that hundreds of people once lived, worked, traded, celebrated, and searched for gold there. Yet during the 1850s, Middletown was one of the important mining communities of western Shasta County, surrounded by exceptionally rich placer ground and connected by roads and stage routes with Shasta, Horsetown, Muletown, Texas Springs, and other settlements scattered throughout the Clear Creek mining country. Middletown's story did not end when the first great placer-mining era faded. Although the community began declining during the late 1850s and eventually disappeared as a recognizable town, mining continued around the old settlement for generations. Farms, orchards, vineyards, homes, and a winery later occupied portions of the surrounding countryside, while miners continued searching the Middletown mining district for gold into the twentieth century. Middletown disappeared as a Gold Rush town, but it did not disappear as a place.

Middletown developed amid extraordinarily rich placer deposits during the opening years of the California Gold Rush. By March 1853, reports from the district were already attracting attention. A miner identified as Mr. Dilicolli discovered a piece of pure gold valued at $200 in his claim on Tadpole Creek near Middletown. The following month, A. E. Calloway recovered eleven ounces of gold and another six dollars from his claim near Middletown, while neighboring miners were reportedly earning between eighteen and twenty-five dollars per day. Later recollections reinforced just how rich the district had been. One newspaper remembered that there was no richer placer camp in the county than Middletown. Its surface gravel, heavily mixed with quartz, reportedly paid miners from ten to twenty dollars per day, with gold occurring from the grass roots down to bedrock. Large quartz boulders containing free gold were also encountered, suggesting that the rich placer deposits might have originated from undiscovered quartz ledges in the surrounding hills.

The remarkable discoveries continued. In March 1854, a lump of gold mixed with quartz weighing more than one hundred ounces was reported from the Middletown diggings and valued at no less than $1,000. Later that month, Hendricks & Stroud recovered another impressive piece weighing twenty-eight ounces and five and one-half dollars in additional weight, with an estimated value approaching $500. The gold drew a substantial population into the surrounding country. A later pioneer account remembered that when the Clear Creek Ditch was completed, more than three thousand miners were waiting for water throughout Muletown, Middletown, Jackass Flat, Texas Springs, Horsetown, and neighboring camps. Cabins were reportedly so numerous between Middletown and Briggsville that the four-mile road connecting them was remembered as almost a continuous street. Decades later, James Gleason, who had grown up in the neighboring Horsetown country, remembered Middletown and Centerville as good business centers and recalled that Middletown itself had spread across a comparatively large area.

As the population increased, Middletown quickly became part of western Shasta County's transportation and commercial network. In 1853, a new road was constructed between Middletown and Horsetown, and Middletown became a stop on Hall & Crandall's United States Mail stage route connecting Shasta with Marysville and Sacramento. Businesses followed the miners. In November 1853, property on the west side of Middletown's Main Street containing a tavern, store, and bakery was offered at auction. The tavern alone could accommodate approximately fifty boarders and included a cellar and large corral. In January 1854, John Heivner purchased the New York Bakery on the east side of Main Street, where customers could purchase bread, pies, cakes, provisions, mining implements, liquors, and cigars. Another pioneer, John Doebelin, was remembered in a 1935 obituary as having owned the first bakery in Middletown. Whether his establishment was connected with the New York Bakery is uncertain, but the accounts demonstrate the extent of Middletown's early commercial development.

The New York Bakery at Middletown, purchased by John Heivner in 1854, offered bread, pies, cakes, provisions, mining implements, liquors, and cigars from its location on the east side of Main Street. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, edition of January 28, 1854.

Among the town's most important merchants were William Weil and L. Weil, who established their original store at Middletown in 1854. Their enterprise subsequently expanded to Texas Springs and Horsetown. The Union Hotel became another important Middletown institution. William S. Hughes assumed management in January 1855, offering food, lodging, a well-stocked bar, and stabling for travelers' animals. Middletown also supported an active social life. Balls and dances were held at its hotels, and a dancing school operated there in 1855. People were beginning to establish families as well. On June 4, 1855, M. L. Richmond and Mary McGuire were married at Middletown. The following month, John Doebelin was born there, beginning a life that would eventually span Middletown's transformation from thriving Gold Rush settlement to ghost town.

Middletown's growing importance was further reflected in the establishment of its own post office. A federal postal register for Shasta County lists Charles W. McKinney as Middletown's postmaster beginning June 18, 1856. The Middletown post office remained in operation until April 19, 1858, when the register records it as discontinued. Its existence provides another indication that Middletown had developed beyond a temporary collection of miners' cabins into an established community. The timing of its closure is also noteworthy. The post office was discontinued during the same year that Judge Chauncey C. Bush Sr. later remembered as the beginning of Middletown's decline, although the surviving postal record does not establish a direct connection between the two events.

For all its mineral wealth, Middletown suffered from one fundamental problem: water. During the winter of 1854, drought brought mining throughout the surrounding dry diggings nearly to a standstill. Without water, miners could not wash their gravel. Without gold, money disappeared from circulation, hotels lost boarders, and merchants lost customers. The solution appeared obvious—bring water from Clear Creek. A public meeting was called at the Excelsior House in Middletown in February 1854 to consider constructing a ditch and flume system. A proposal envisioned a roughly sixteen-mile canal built cooperatively by approximately one hundred miners. The movement continued in March when miners assembled again at Middletown, with James S. Ralston serving as chairman and Brice Grimes as secretary. The resulting plan called for one hundred shares valued at $500 each, with shareholders providing part of the necessary labor. Later accounts celebrated the eventual completion of a Clear Creek ditch system supplying the surrounding mining country, although a direct organizational connection between that completed ditch and the cooperative enterprise proposed at Middletown in 1854 has not been established.

Life in Middletown could also display the rougher character of the California mining frontier. In April 1855, the store of William Weil & Co. was burglarized, and approximately $1,500 in gold dust disappeared along with a black mare mule believed to have been used by the thieves. The merchants offered a $200 reward for recovery of the stolen property and apprehension of those responsible. At the same time, Middletown developed the civic institutions of a settled community. It sent delegates to county political conventions, produced candidates for public office, and maintained its own election precinct. These details reveal a place considerably more developed than the term “mining camp” might suggest. Middletown possessed businesses, hotels, homes, roads, stage service, political institutions, social gatherings, and a permanent population.

According to Judge Chauncey C. Bush Sr., who recalled Middletown's history during an 1893 land dispute, the community reached its height between 1853 and 1857, when approximately 500 people lived there. He remembered saloons, hotels, merchants, and substantial buildings, including a fireproof brick store occupied by Weil. Because Judge Bush was describing events several decades afterward, his testimony is best regarded as a pioneer recollection rather than a contemporary population count, but his description agrees closely with the substantial community documented in newspapers of the 1850s. Judge Bush placed the beginning of Middletown's decline in 1858, when the Frazier River excitement drew miners and residents away. The distinction is important: 1858 marked the beginning of Middletown's decline, not its end.

Middletown remained an established election precinct in 1858, with William Weil serving as inspector, and commercial life continued. In late 1859 and early 1860, William Weil & Bros. advertised the Middletown location as one of the firm's established “old stands,” alongside stores at Horsetown and Texas Springs. A butcher shop operated by Bennet & Waggoner also opened at Middletown, sending wagons throughout Buckeye, Churntown, Whisky Creek, Shasta, Texas Springs, and neighboring settlements. The Weil enterprise changed hands in 1861, when William Weil and L. Weil sold their interests to David Weil and Joseph Weil before returning to Germany. The two brothers later returned to California in 1867, after which the family established itself in Shasta.

William Weil & Bros. advertised Middletown as one of the firm's established “old stands” in 1859–1860, evidence that commercial activity continued after Middletown had begun to decline. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, edition of January 7, 1860.

An 1862 sheriff's sale involving merchant Augustus Kessel provides one of the best surviving descriptions of Middletown's physical layout. In April of that year, Emanuel Lewin and Ferdinand Baehr obtained a judgment against Kessel for $2,867.90, plus interest and costs. Among the property subsequently offered for sale was a parcel on the west side of Middletown's principal street containing the fireproof brick store erected by William Weil & Co. Another parcel stood opposite Kessel's dwelling and included the site of his former storehouse. The measurements recorded in the legal notice reveal a developed commercial street containing defined lots, fences, residences, stores, and substantial buildings rather than merely the temporary cabins commonly associated with early mining camps. Even in 1863, Middletown remained socially and civically active. Michael B. Hickey hosted a grand St. Patrick's Day Ball at the Union Hotel, and the community continued functioning as an election precinct. Middletown was smaller, but it was still alive.

As the great placer-mining era faded, attention increasingly turned toward quartz. In January 1864, the Shasta Courier identified James Loag as the owner of a quartz mill near Middletown. A cleanup following the crushing of fifty tons of quartz from Jolly & Co.'s Muletown claim produced seventeen pounds of amalgam, with experienced observers estimating the ore at approximately forty dollars per ton. Two months later, an eight-stamp quartz mill at Middletown was offered for sale. The mill had recently been thoroughly repaired, contained two sets of Norton's Patent Amalgamators, and was described as being in good running order. Importantly, the advertisement stated that it was being sold to close a partnership rather than because the operation had failed.

Mining continued around Middletown long after the original town began declining. William Peterson developed a gold-bearing quartz ledge near Middletown, sank a shaft, constructed a roasting furnace, and built an arrastra. Other prospectors searched the surrounding hills for the quartz ledges believed to have produced the district's extraordinary placer deposits. In 1876, Michael Hickey applied for a federal patent covering the twenty-acre Hickey Placer Mine in the Middletown mining district. The property description is particularly valuable because it placed the claim near John Heivner's dwelling and garden and property associated with William Peterson. Heivner had purchased the New York Bakery more than twenty years earlier, while Peterson was associated with the district's later quartz development. Their appearance in the same property description shows that Middletown's later landscape contained not simply abandoned diggings, but residences, gardens, established property boundaries, and active mining claims.

The concentrated settlement nevertheless continued to disappear. By 1893, Judge Bush recalled that not a single vestige of the old town remained. Yet only two years later, a newspaper column headed “Middletown Notes” described a very different kind of community occupying the surrounding countryside. Peter McCann was pruning his orchard and sowing grain. Wolfgang Nachreiner was planting eighty acres of wheat and oats. Martin Nachreiner was clearing land, Anton Schwagel planned to sow forty acres of oats, and Jacob Peterson intended to cultivate twenty-five acres on Chris Stabler's ranch. Even the miners were reported to be making spring gardens and planting trees. The Gold Rush town had disappeared, but Middletown had become a dispersed rural community where mining existed alongside orchards, grain fields, gardens, homes, and ranches.

Agriculture eventually produced one of Middletown's most distinctive later industries. By 1899, Charles Brouillard was identified as the “Middletown wine maker,” and by the following year he was described as proprietor of the Middletown Winery. Brouillard's operation produced Claret, Zinfandel, White Wine, Riesling, Sauterne, Port, Sherry, Angelica, and brandy, with a distribution depot maintained at 305 Oregon Street in Redding. When the Middletown Ranch and Winery was advertised for sale in 1911, the property encompassed approximately 270 acres, including forty acres planted in grapes and fruit, 220 acres of pasture, and ten acres of mineral land. Even on a ranch devoted to agriculture and wine production, the mineral potential of the old Middletown country had not been forgotten.

Charles Brouillard's Middletown Winery produced a variety of locally made wines and brandy and maintained a distribution depot at 305 Oregon Street in Redding. From the November 22, 1911, edition of the Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding. 

Nor had mining disappeared. New quartz claims continued to be recorded in the Middletown mining district during the twentieth century. In 1915, the Jim Loag Mine at Middletown was equipped with a two-stamp mill, ore discharge, rock breaker, and hoist, while other prospectors continued locating quartz claims throughout the surrounding country. By 1930, miners were still staking new ground in the Middletown district. The following years demonstrated that the old mining country could still produce the ambition and uncertainty that had characterized it since the Gold Rush.

In 1932, the White Mine was being developed near Olney Creek behind the old Middletown Cemetery, approximately five miles west of Redding. Dawson, Swinney, and Samson operated the property under lease and bond from Edwin White of Redding and installed a mill capable of processing approximately fifty tons of ore per day. Just as operations were preparing to begin, someone deliberately dynamited the cement diversion dam constructed across Olney Creek to provide water for the mill. The fifteen-foot-long and eight-foot-high structure was shattered. No known dispute over mining or water rights explained the destruction, and the motive remained a mystery. The operators nevertheless intended to rebuild the dam and continue mining. Nearly eighty years after Middletown's first great placer discoveries, people were still searching the surrounding hills for gold.

One physical remnant of the pioneer community proved especially enduring. The Middletown Cemetery, established near the settlement during the pioneer era, continued serving the surrounding countryside after the town's stores, hotels, saloons, and residences disappeared. Pioneers including John H. Owens, Bernard Scheurer, and George Miller were buried there. When Solomon McDaniel of the neighboring Centerville district was laid to rest in the cemetery, the Weekly Searchlight described his funeral as the largest ever held at Middletown, with mourners traveling from Redding and the surrounding countryside. The cemetery's continued use demonstrates that Middletown remained a meaningful community identity even after its commercial center vanished.

The entrance to the historic Middletown Cemetery, established during the 1850s near the once-thriving Gold Rush community of Middletown in Shasta County, California. The cemetery remains one of the few surviving physical reminders of the former settlement. Photograph taken by Jeremy M. Tuggle on September 1, 2026.

Few lives illustrate Middletown's transformation better than that of John Doebelin. He was born at Middletown in July 1855, when the settlement was near the height of its prosperity, and spent most of his eighty years in the surrounding mining country. When Doebelin died in 1935, his obituary described his birthplace as a ghost town situated between Briggsville and old Shasta. The infant born amid the Gold Rush boom had lived long enough to see his birthplace become a historical memory.

Middletown's history, however, was not simply the story of a mining town that flourished briefly and disappeared. Its first great era belonged to placer mining, when gold drew hundreds of people into the district and created stores, hotels, bakeries, homes, roads, stage connections, political institutions, and a thriving community. The Frazier River excitement began Middletown's decline in 1858, but decline was a process rather than an event. Merchants remained, elections continued, quartz mills operated, and residents maintained homes and gardens. As the concentrated settlement disappeared, farms, orchards, vineyards, and homes spread across the surrounding countryside, while prospectors continued recording mining claims into the twentieth century.

The town disappeared, but Middletown survived as a place. Its name remained attached to the countryside, its mines, farms and vineyards, roads, family memories, and most enduringly, its pioneer cemetery. Today, the Old Middletown Cemetery remains a tangible connection to a settlement whose Main Street and buildings have otherwise vanished—a surviving landmark of one of western Shasta County's richest Gold Rush communities and a reminder that Middletown's history continued long after the boomtown itself disappeared. 

Tall, dry grass surrounds a modern grave within the historic Middletown Cemetery in Shasta County, California. Established during the 1850s, the secluded cemetery remains one of the few surviving landmarks associated with the former Gold Rush community of Middletown. Photograph taken by Jeremy M. Tuggle on September 1, 2026.

RESOURCES:

1850 U.S. Census

1852 California State Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1853

Big Lump - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 19, 1853

Interesting Letter from One Horse Town - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 2, 1853

Good Wages - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 2, 1853

From Pitt River - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 23, 1853

French Gulch Correspondence - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 30, 1853

Middletown and One Horse Town Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 7, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 7, 1853

Attention Democrats - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 14, 1853

Shasta County Democratic Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 11, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 2, 1853

Birth - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 16, 1853

Afternoon Session - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 3, 1853

Auction!! - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 22, 1853

Ball's - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 24, 1853

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 28, 1853

The Shasta County Dry Diggings - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 4, 1854

To The Public - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 11, 1854

The Shasta County Dry Diggings - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 11, 1854

Miner's Meeting - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 25, 1854

Miner's Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 11, 1854

Miner's Meeting - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 4, 1854

Miner's Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 11, 1854

Married - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 18, 1854

Middletown Dry Diggings - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 25, 1854

Mining In Shasta County - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 1, 1854

Rich Quartz - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 29, 1854

Miner's Meeting - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 20, 1854

Notice to the Democracy of Shasta County - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 24, 1854

Middletown Ball - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 30, 1854

The Travel This Way - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 28, 1854

The Shasta County Mining and Milling Water Company - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 23, 1854

The Storm - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 6, 1855

The Union Hotel - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 20, 1855

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 20, 1855

Another Ball - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 27, 1855

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 10, 1855

Shooting Affair - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 10, 1855

Candidates - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 7, 1855

$200 Reward - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 14, 1855

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 28, 1855

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 5, 1855

Dancing School - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 26, 1855

Temperance Lecture - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 2, 1855

Mule Thief Arrested - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

Married - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

Dissolution- The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 7, 1855

Shasta County Democratic Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 14, 1855

“Sam” In Shasta - His Nominees - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 4, 1855

A Card - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 11, 1855

Administrators Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 11, 1855

Temperance Mass Meeting - The :$hasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 25, 1855

Mining Intelligence - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 2, 1856

Judges and Inpectors of Election - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 14, 1858

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 26, 1859

1860 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 7, 1860

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 14, 1860

A Seven Hundred Dollar Chunk - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 21, 1860

Sheriff’s Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 26, 1862

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 30, 1862

St. Patrick's Ball - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 1, 1863

A Contract - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 3, 1863

Sheriff's Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 3, 1863

Quartz Mill in Operation - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 17, 1863

A Good Claim - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 9, 1864

Something About Our County - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 16, 1864

For Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 5, 1864

Fire - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 15, 1864

Judges and Inspectors of Election - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 22, 1864

Robbery - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 5, 1864

Middletown Correspondence - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 3, 1864

Letter from Bed Rock - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 10, 1864

Letter from Bed Rock - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 21, 1865

Middletown - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 18, 1865

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 4, 1866

The Tornado Company - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 25, 1866

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 22, 1866

Middletown - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 29, 1866

Middletown - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 3, 1866

Administrators Sale of Real Estate - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 17, 1866

A Success - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 23, 1867

Not Played Out. - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 31, 1867

School House - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 5, 1867

Robbed - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 16, 1867

Bitten By A Dog - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 25, 1868

Shot at by Indians - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 13, 1868

Lightning - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 27, 1868

Injured - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 21, 1868

Fatal Accident - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 12, 1868

Runaway - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 3, 1869

Union Republican Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 17, 1869

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 6, 1869

Gone East - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 25, 1869

1870 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 8, 1871

Notice To Whom It May Concern - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 12, 1871

Sold Out - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 20, 1872

Highway Robbery - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 20, 1873

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 20, 1873

A.V. Mount - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 21, 1874

Notice of Application for Patent to Mining Claim - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 8, 1876

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 2, 1878

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 15, 1879 

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 15, 1879

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 10, 1879

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 21, 1879

1880 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 24, 1880

Rich Quartz - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1880

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 21, 1880

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 4, 1880

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 9, 1880

Sheriff's Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 19, 1881

Thirty Years Ago - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 5, 1884

Chenoweth - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 28, 1884

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 28, 1885

Michael Hickey - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 17, 1885

They Are Coming - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 26, 1886

Pioneer Notes - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 30, 1887

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 4, 1887

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 6, 1887

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 4, 1888

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 23, 1888

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 4, 1888

Middletown - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1893

Middletown Notes - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1895

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 8, 1899

1900 U.S. Census

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 23, 1900

His Request Granted Twenty Years After - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 19, 1902

After Effect of Typhoid Is Fatal - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 11, 1908

Pays Tribute to "Old George" Miller - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 6, 1908

1910 U.S. Census

For Sale - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 17, 1911

Buy Local Wine - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 16, 1911

The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 22, 1911

Made A Lucky Strike - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 23, 1919

Horsetown and Briggsville -The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 18, 1915

Two New Mines - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 18, 1915

Robertson to Start Mine - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 31, 1915

Death Summons Laura B. Wagner - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 1, 1916

The Big Row - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1916

Storey Funeral Today - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 19, 1916

Proof of Labor - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 12, 1916

1920 U.S. Census

Death of Jim Kelly Ended Odd Career - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 20, 1922

1930 U.S. Census

Two Locate Claim - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 4, 1930

John Doeblin, 80 Years Old Native of Shasta, Passes - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1935

My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach, an anthology of newspaper clippings and documents relating to those who made California history during the years 1822-1888, by Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs. Published by Howell-North Press ©1942

Shasta County, California A History by Rosena Giles, published by Biobooks, ©1949.

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971

DEATHS AMONG THE HEADSTONES.

Filmed on location.

In April 1911, the unexpected death of Edward Langdon Bailey shocked the citizens of Redding and attracted attention throughout California. A respected banker, public official, church leader, and civic volunteer, Bailey had been a familiar figure in the community for more than twenty years. This video explores his life, his many contributions to early Redding, and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death beside his mother’s grave in Redding Cemetery. It also recounts the similar and largely forgotten death of Max Thormahlen, also known as Max Thornton, in another part of the cemetery three years earlier.

RESOURCES: 

1850 U.S. Census

1860 U.S. Census

1870 U.S. Census

1880 U.S. Census

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 20, 1890

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 6, 1891

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 22, 1891

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 3, 1892

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1893

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 10, 1894

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 31, 1894

Trustee's Sale - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 16, 1895

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 24, 1895

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 16, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 6, 1897

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 21, 1898

Death of Mrs. E.L. Bailey - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1898

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 23, 1898

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 26, 1898

The library officers - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January25, 1899   

1900 U.S. Census

Bank Directors Meet - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 11, 1900

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 13, 1900

Notice to Creditors - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 13, 1900

Bank Directors Meet - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 13, 1900

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 25, 1900

The Odd Fellows and the Rebekah's - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 27, 1900

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1900

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 16, 1900

Chambers for Library Trustee - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 17, 1900

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 18, 1900

City Election Monday - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 7, 1900

The Municipal Election - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 10, 1900

Municipal Election Returns - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 10, 1900

City Government - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 17, 1900

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 19, 1900

Grandpa Bailey - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 1, 1904

Mrs. E.L. Bailey Has Passed Away - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1906

1910 U.S. Census

The Courier- Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1911

Despondent and Ill Redding Banker Kills Himself on Mother's Grave - The Chico Enterprise newspaper of Chico, April 6, 1911

Despondent Banker Kills Himself - The Daily People's Cause of Red Bluff, April 6, 1911

Redding Man Shoots Self - The Los Angeles Times newspaper of Los Angeles, April 6, 1911

Short Run on Strong and Reliable Bank - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 7, 1911

E.L. Bailey, Banker, Despondent Shoots Self - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 7, 1911

Run On Bank Follows Suicide of Bailey - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, April 7, 1911

Banker E.L. Bailey, Who Shot Himself Redding Lived Here Many Years - The Solano-Napa News Chronicle newspaper of Solano, April 7, 1911

E. L. Bailey, Banker, Despondent Shoots Self - The Weekly Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 7, 1911

Standing By Mothers Grave Fire Bullet into His Brain - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 7, 1911

Banker Bailey Is a Suicide at Redding - The Appeal-Democrat newspaper of Marysville, April 7, 1911

Bankers Funeral Attended by Throngs - The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, April 8, 1911

Savings of Years Swept Away and One Death Caused by Crash - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, April 16, 1911

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 3, 1911

How Roller Skating Captivated Redding

How roller skating captivated Redding

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Jeremy Tuggle

Originally Appeared On A News Cafe

Photo by Laura Rivera on Unsplash

(Editor’s note: Please welcome to A News Cafe Jeremy Tuggle and his local history column, Tuggle Tales: Unearthing the People, Places, and Stories of Shasta County—Past and Present. )

Skating has a long and fascinating history stretching back thousands of years. The earliest form—ice skating—dates to between 3000 and 4000 B.C., when people in Northern Europe fashioned skates from animal bones to travel across frozen lakes and rivers. Nearly five millennia later, in 1760, the invention of the first roller skates created an entirely new way to glide.

By the early 1880s, roller skating had become one of America’s greatest recreational crazes. Across the western United States, the sound of steel wheels rattling across polished wooden floors echoed through newly opened skating rinks. These lively venues became gathering places where families, young couples, and friends met to socialize, exercise, and enjoy an evening’s entertainment.

Even Redding felt the pull of the new craze. On April 5, 1884, the Republican Free Press lamented the town’s lack of a skating rink: “Our town has been surpassed for once. We have no skating rink. But it is the universal opinion that the roller skate is a wayward little quadruped. It is as frolicsome and more innocent looking than a lamb; but for lowering one’s upright attitude in the community, it is unsurpassed.”

Viking Skate Country in Redding, California, which opened in 1974 and continues a roller-skating tradition in the city dating back to the 1880s. Photograph taken by Jeremy M. Tuggle in 2024.

Ironically, before Redding established its first rink, the neighboring communities of Millville and Igo had already embraced the sport, demonstrating that even small frontier settlements were eager participants in one of the era’s most fashionable recreations.

Plans for Redding’s own rink soon emerged. On April 11, 1885, the Republican Free Press reported that local businessman John George had moved the Chappell & Houston warehouse to the corner of Yuba and California streets, adjacent to the railroad reserve. Curious residents speculated about its purpose, prompting the newspaper to joke: “Some say that the building will be used for a skating rink, others say for a hall. If you are very curious, go ask John.”

Three weeks later, the mystery was solved. On May 2, 1885, Charley George opened Redding’s first skating rink, known as St. George Hall. Predicting great success, the Republican Free Press declared that “roller skating will be the rage for some time to come.” The editor also noted that many young women were quietly practicing before making their public debut, hoping their first appearance would be graceful rather than awkward. To celebrate the occasion, the newspaper published a lighthearted poem:

Roll on, roll on, ye roller skates

Roll on ye ankles, trim and neat;

Roll on ye limbs of purple hose;

Be careful; do not turn up your toes,

Be sure and not roll on your nose.

The prediction proved remarkably accurate. Roller skating quickly became one of Redding’s favorite pastimes, and St. George Hall evolved into a bustling social center where residents gathered as much for conversation and companionship as for exercise. Competition soon followed. In 1887, James Meads opened a second rink inside the Major Opera House on California Street. Although short-lived, it reflected skating’s growing popularity.

By 1889, St. George Hall was under the management of N. B. Howard and continued serving skaters until disaster struck. During the severe snowstorm of January 1894, approximately eighteen inches of snow blanketed Redding, causing the skating rink to collapse beneath the weight. Several other buildings were also damaged or destroyed during the storm, and St. George Hall was never rebuilt.

A decade later, skating returned to Redding. In late October 1904, Redding resident and local hostelry man Thomas Cordi opened a new rink inside the Bush Building on Market Street, formerly occupied by the store of James Young Hardware. Within two years, roller skating had once again swept through Redding. By the autumn of 1906, the Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding reported that skating had become far beyond a simple pastime—it was the city’s latest social phenomenon. Children, teenagers, businessmen, and adults of every age flocked to the rinks.

At the center of the excitement stood the skating rink inside Armory Hall, built in 1889 on the site now occupied by Shasta Regional Medical Center. There, a newly organized skating club of twenty-five couples held its inaugural meeting. Some members skated with confidence while others struggled through their first uncertain laps, often providing as much entertainment for spectators as the accomplished skaters.

The club elected A. H. Tucker as president, Dr. B.F. Saylor as secretary, and Dr. Potter as treasurer. Every Wednesday evening from 10 p.m. until midnight, the rink was reserved exclusively for club members to practice, socialize, and perfect new skating maneuvers.

When theatrical performances or other events occupied Armory Hall, members gathered elsewhere for card parties and social evenings. No matter where they met, however, conversation invariably returned to skating. One newspaper account told of an enthusiastic but less-than-graceful club member who attempted to demonstrate the advanced “double eagle” maneuver while explaining the importance of balance. His short legs flew into the air, his arms flailed wildly, and he landed flat on the floor.

After nearly eleven seconds, he finally gasped, “Whoof.” Recovering his composure, he sheepishly apologized to a nearby young woman. “Er—I beg your pardon.” “Oh, don’t mention it,” she replied. The pair quietly rejoined the crowd as though nothing unusual had happened.

Such scenes were common at Armory Hall, where beginners and experienced skaters shared the floor with equal enthusiasm and good humor. The Courier-Free Press newspaper jokingly declared that the rink had transformed “one-half of Redding’s population into rolling stock.” The customary greeting on city streets was no longer “How are you?” but “Do you skate?”

The skating craze even reshaped Redding’s social life. Many young women preferred evenings at the rink over dances, theater performances, or buggy rides, claiming they simply could not miss another opportunity to perfect their skating technique. The article concluded that roller skating had become much more than entertainment—nearly everyone had caught what it called the “skating habit.” Armory Hall remained one of Redding’s principal skating venues until it was destroyed by fire in January 1915.

The following year, in 1916, G. M. Klein established a transportable roller skating rink at the corner of Pine and Yuba Streets. Unlike the permanent skating halls that had come before it, Klein’s portable rink could be relocated and adapted as needed, marking a new phase in Redding’s skating culture. Roller skating remained a popular pastime throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s. In February 1928, a new skating rink was constructed at the corner of Tehama and Pine Streets, demonstrating that the pastime remained popular as Redding entered the 1930s. By 1940, another roller skating rink had opened at the corner of East and Yuba Streets, but its existence was brief. On December 2, 1940, the building was destroyed by fire, bringing an abrupt end to one of Redding’s last pre-war skating rinks.

Roller skating experienced a major resurgence following World War II. On October 30, 1947, the Coliseum Skating Rink opened to a large crowd two miles south of Redding on Highway 99. Owned by Troy Jones and W. S. Blazer, the $75,000 facility was promoted as the largest skating rink between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

The building measured 70 by 160 feet and contained more than 11,000 square feet of skating floor. Its innovative “spring floor,” constructed of laminated 2×4 framing topped with felt and hardwood maple, provided a smoother skating surface and reduced impact for skaters. The Coliseum accommodated 600 skaters and featured parking for up to 3,000 automobiles on a nine-acre site. Modern lighting illuminated the rink, and plans included a check room, soda fountain, balcony, and installation of a Hammond electric organ.

Open seven days a week, the rink offered afternoon sessions from 2 to 5 p.m. and evening skating from 7 to 11:45 p.m. Beyond skating, the Coliseum was designed as a full entertainment center, hosting dances with name bands, boxing matches, wrestling events, and community gatherings.

The owners of the rink even collaborated with Redding City Lines, a local bus system that offered transportation from Market and Yuba Streets to the skating rink and return trips as well. More than two decades later, history repeated itself, as the Coliseum Skating Rink became one of several Redding-area structures impacted by the devastating December 1968 snowstorm. On December 23, 1968, the storm dumped 16 inches of snow in a single day, setting the all-time calendar-day snowfall record for Redding. Then, on December 24, 1968, an additional 4 inches fell, bringing the storm’s total to 20 inches.

Inside Viking Skate Country in Redding, California, where generations of local residents have gathered to roller skate since the rink opened in 1974. Photograph taken by Jeremy M. Tuggle in 2024.

During what local officials described as the “Big Snow,” heavy, wet snowfall caused widespread structural failures across the region. The Coliseum Skating Rink suffered significant structural damage under the weight of the snow, marking a turning point for aging mid-century recreational facilities.

Finally, in 1974, former state senator Maurice Johannessen opened Viking Skate Country, which became the city’s premier modern skating rink. His wife, Marianne Johannessen, continues to serve as general manager, maintaining a direct link to more than a century of skating history in Redding.

Looking back more than a century later, what began with a single skating rink in 1885 grew into one of Redding’s defining social pastimes. From St. George Hall to Armory Hall, from the Coliseum Skating Rink to Viking Skate Country, roller skating remained a constant thread through generations of community life. Long before movies, radio, and modern entertainment defined leisure, skating rinks brought neighbors together beneath glowing lights—where friendships formed, romances began, and entire evenings were spent simply rolling in circles, sharing in a pastime that left lasting marks on the city’s history.

Resources:

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 1, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 5, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 13, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 10, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 7, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 11, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 2, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 6, 1885

Skating Carnival - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 11, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 31, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 28, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 12, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 2, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 29, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 10, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 16, 1889

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 23, 1889

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 27, 1894

To Start a Skating Rink - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 20, 1905

Roller Skating Rink - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 23, 1905

The Northern California Rink Association - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1906

A Grand Event - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 6, 1906

Skating at the Armory - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 16, 1906

Whist And Skating in Contest for Popularity - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 20, 1906

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 21, 1906

Broke Her Arm - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1906

Roller Skating Is All the Rage - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 5, 1906

Polo on Skates at the Armory - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 26, 1906

The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 11, 1906

Armory Hall Has Been Leased for Year - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 14, 1906

Skating Rink to Open Soon - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 13, 1906

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 2, 1906

The Skating Rink - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 19, 1906

Boy Breaks an Arm - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 22, 1906

The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 26, 1906

Sprained an Ankle - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 22, 1906

The Skating Habit Has Captured Redding - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 22, 1906

Accident at Rink - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 15, 1906

"Roller Fans" to Have Treat - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 16, 1907

Skating - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1908

Inter Nos Boys Lease Skating Rink - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1908

Skating at Armory - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 8, 1909

Skating - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 10, 1909

Skating Rink - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1913

Skating - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 6, 1913

Skating Rink - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 28, 1914

Armory Hall Is Burned - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1915

Armory Hall Is Destroyed by Fire -The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 12, 1915

Fire That Destroyed Armory Hall Caused Loss of $20,000 - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1915

Redding Will Have Skating Rink Soon - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 28, 1916

Rink Open This Saturday - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 26, 1916

Skating Rink to Close on Sunday - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 14, 1916

Roller Skating Rink Will be Built Here - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 3, 1922

Skating Rink - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1928

Civic Auditorium Let for Skating Rink - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 8, 1930

Roller Skating Rink Will Open on Friday - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 9, 1930

Roller Skating Rink to be Opened Tonight - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 10, 1930

Skating Rink May Be Opened at Pavilion - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 4, 1932

Theatrical Groups Used Armory Hall written by Superior Court Judge, Albert F. Ross Jr. - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 28, 1964

Today In History - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 2016

Today In History - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 13, 2016

PRESENTING TUGGLE TALES ON A NEWS CAFE!

I’m excited to share some news about my local-history work!

For years, I’ve enjoyed researching and sharing the people, places, and stories of our area through Exploring Shasta County History, and that work will continue.

I’m now also excited to begin a new partnership with A News Cafe as the author of a new local-history column, Tuggle Tales. Unearthing the People, Places, and Stories of Shasta County—Past and Present.

I’m grateful to Doni Chamberlain and A News Cafe for this opportunity to bring my research to another audience. My first Tuggle Tales column, “How Roller Skating Captivated Redding,” is now live!

I look forward to sharing many more stories with you.

Read the first Tuggle Tales column at A News Cafe:

https://anewscafe.com/.../tuggle-tales-how-roller.../

THE HISTORIC SITE OF TERRY MILL AT ROUND MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA.

Filmed on location.

The Terry Lumber Company sawmill property at Round Mountain was part of the upper end of Joseph E. Terry’s extensive lumber operation in Shasta County. Acquired by Terry in 1897, the property included the mountain sawmill, surrounding timberlands, logging facilities, and transportation infrastructure. Lumber was cut at the Round Mountain mill and sent downhill through the company’s famous lumber flume to the finishing and shipping facilities at Bella Vista. The mill remained active into the early twentieth century and played an important role in the lumber industry that developed around Round Mountain. Journey with me as we explore what remains of this historic property today, with the permission of property owner Tony Ortega. Please do not trespass. This is private property.

Homer A. Curtiss: The Attorney Who Helped Build Shasta County’s First Government.

Homer A. Curtiss was born in New York in 1825 and received a strong education before pursuing a career in law. After completing his legal training and becoming an attorney, Curtiss was drawn westward by the excitement surrounding the California Gold Rush. Like thousands of others during this era, he left behind his eastern home in search of opportunity in the new frontier.

By the end of 1850, Curtiss had arrived in Shasta County, a region where mining camps and settlements were rapidly expanding along Clear Creek and the Sacramento River. Although the promise of easy riches had brought many men west, the reality of mining was often much more difficult. Curtiss soon recognized that his greatest opportunity was not in the goldfields, but in the profession, he already knew—law.

At the time of his arrival, Shasta County was still creating the basic institutions of government. Courts had to be established, laws enforced, and public offices organized. Curtiss arrived at a moment when men with legal experience were needed to help bring order to a rapidly changing frontier.

Above: Homer A. Curtiss (1825–1885), Shasta County’s first district attorney, helped establish the county’s early legal system during the formative years of California statehood. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Michigan Connection to Early Shasta County

Curtiss’s early years in California reveal an important connection between the development of Shasta County and a group of men who had ties to the East, particularly Michigan.

Among those who became prominent in early Shasta County government was Michael Oppenheimer, who had connections to Jackson, Michigan, before coming west. Oppenheimer would become the county’s first sheriff, while Curtiss would become its first district attorney.

One of the earliest records connecting these men comes from Curtiss himself. In a letter written from California and published in the Jackson Citizen newspaper on October 26, 1850, Curtiss reported on the results of the first county election and identified several of the men chosen to lead the new government.

Curtiss wrote:

“M. Oppenheimer is elected Sheriff of this County for the next two years. The people of this County saw fit to elect me to the office of District Attorney...”

This letter provides a rare firsthand account from one of Shasta County’s earliest officials. It confirms that Curtiss and Oppenheimer were already serving together during the county’s formative period and reveals a connection between former residents of the East and the creation of local government in California’s northern mining region.

Rather than arriving as unknown individuals among thousands of Gold Rush immigrants, Curtiss, Oppenheimer, and others brought with them previous experiences and relationships that helped shape the earliest political structure of Shasta County.

Shasta County’s First District Attorney

In 1851, the newly established Board of Supervisors officially created the office of district attorney. Homer A. Curtiss became the first person to hold that position in Shasta County. The role carried significant responsibility. In a frontier county where communities were growing faster than government could keep pace, the district attorney represented the state in criminal matters and helped establish the foundation of the local legal system.

Curtiss served as district attorney until 1852, when he was defeated for reelection by Josiah Ward. Although his first term was brief, his contribution was significant. He was among the first officials responsible for transforming Shasta County from a collection of mining settlements into an organized county with established legal institutions.

Curtiss remained active in public affairs after leaving office. In September 1853, he was elected justice of the peace and later received a commission as a notary public. He continued practicing law and remained an important figure in the community.

Above: An advertisement for Homer A. Curtiss, attorney and counselor at law and notary public, offering his legal services to the residents of early Shasta County. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 15, 1854.

Above: Homer A. Curtiss's name appears here among the Union County nominations for district attorney, marking his return to local politics before his successful election to the office in 1864. From the July 4, 1863, edition of the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta.

A Second Term in Office

By 1863, Curtiss was once again seeking public office. In its July 4, 1863, issue, the Shasta Courier included his name among the Union County nominations for district attorney, indicating that he remained active in local politics and continued to have the support of the community.

In 1864, Curtiss returned to the political arena and won election as district attorney. His victory made him the first person in Shasta County history to serve two separate, non-consecutive terms in the office. During his second term, Curtiss maintained a law office in Callaghan’s Block on Main Street in Shasta. He served until 1866, when he was defeated by John S. Follansbee.

Outside the courtroom, Curtiss played an active role in the civic and cultural life of early Shasta County. He supported the Shasta Library Association and helped organize the Shasta Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. He was also a member of Western Star Lodge No. 2, reflecting the important role fraternal organizations played in the social life of nineteenth-century communities.

Mining Ventures and Business Interests

Although law remained Curtiss’s primary profession, he also participated in the mining ventures that continued to shape Shasta County’s economy. By the mid-1860s, Curtiss became a partner in the Original Twenty-Six Mining Company at Bully Hill in the Pittsburg mining district.

He also invested in the Daniel Webster Gold, Silver, and Copper Mining Company. These ventures reflected the continued importance of mining in Shasta County and the willingness of many early professionals to participate in the economic opportunities created by the region’s mineral wealth.

Above: A report noting that District Attorney Homer A. Curtiss was “thrown from his horse with great violence” during a visit to Copper City, an example of the everyday dangers of frontier travel. From the Shasta Courier newspaper edition of April 30, 1854.

Returning East and a New Chapter in Michigan

Around 1868, Curtiss left California and returned east, settling in Jackson, Michigan—the same community that had connections to several early Shasta County pioneers.

While in Jackson, Curtiss resumed his legal career and continued his connection with the community. On August 25, 1869, he married Miss Sarah Doyle of Oswego, New York. The ceremony was performed by Rev. H. F. Spencer. A newspaper notice announcing the marriage identified him as:

“Homer A. Curtiss, Esq., late of Shasta,”

the marriage announcement read, showing that his reputation as one of Shasta County's early attorneys remained well known even after leaving California. In Jackson, Michigan, Sarah (Doyle) Curtiss established a millinery and dressmaking business, advertised in local newspapers by 1871, while Homer resumed his law practice and served as a circuit court commissioner until 1872. The family later lived in Rochester and Brockport, New York, before making their permanent home in Medina, Orleans County, New York.

His Final Years in New York

In Medina, Curtiss established another law practice and later brought his son, Medina Curtiss, into the profession as an assistant attorney. He and Sarah raised their family and remained connected to the legal community. Although his years in California represented only part of his long career, Curtiss never lost the distinction of having helped establish Shasta County’s earliest government institutions.

The Passing of a Frontier Pioneer

On Christmas Day in 1885, Homer A. Curtiss suffered a fatal accident at his home in Medina. While carrying a barrel up the steps, he slipped and fell, suffering a fractured skull. Physicians Dr. Bishop and Dr. Chapman were called to the scene, but Curtiss died shortly afterward at the age of 60.

News of his death traveled across the country, reaching communities in New York, Michigan, and California. In Shasta County, where he had helped establish the county’s earliest legal institutions, his passing was remembered with great respect. The Shasta Courier published an extensive obituary honoring Curtiss, recognizing his service as the county’s first district attorney and his role during the critical years when Shasta County’s government was being formed.

Homer A. Curtiss’s life represents the experience of many early Californians—a journey that began in the East, passed through the excitement and uncertainty of the Gold Rush, and ultimately helped build the foundations of a new frontier society. His story also reveals an important connection often overlooked in local history: the influence of earlier relationships and communities, including those from Michigan, in shaping the earliest government of Shasta County.

Resources:

1850 U.S. Census

1852 California State Census

From California written by Homer A. Curtiss  - The Jackson Weekly Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, January 7, 1852

In the District Court for the 9th Judicial District - Shasta County - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 2, 1853

Shasta County Democratic Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 11, 1853

Election Notices - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 25, 1853

Shasta County Election Returns - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 10, 1853

Attention Citizens - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 12, 1854

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 12, 1854

Emigrant Road Meeting - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 17, 1855

1860 U.S. Census

Yancy Meeting at Briggsville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 25, 1860

Candidates for Office - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 1, 1860

Declines It - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 1, 1862

The Fourth in French Gulch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 27, 1863

Union County Nominations - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 4, 1863

Union Senatorial Convention - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 1, 1863

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 8, 1863

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 9, 1864

Republican Ward Caucuses - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, March 14, 1868 

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, April 27, 1868

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, May 8, 1868

Political - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, August 5, 1865

Republican County Ticket - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, August 7, 1868

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan - October 27, 1868

Homer A. Curtiss and James Hammill - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, November 3, 1868

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 10, 1869

Marriages - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 25, 1869

1870 U.S. Census

Business Directory - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, May 9, 1870

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, February 6, 1871

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, April 26, 1871

Appointment - The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, October 25, 1871

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, April 30, 1872

The Jackson Citizen newspaper of Jackson, Michigan, February 1, 1873

1880 U.S. Census

Killed By a Fall - The Rochester Journal and the Post Express newspaper of New York, New York, December 29, 1885

Orleans - The Democrat and the Chronicle newspaper of New York, New York, December 30, 1885

Death of One of Shasta County's Pioneers - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 23, 1886

Gold & Lore: A Two-Time District Attorney: Homer A. Curtiss written by Jeremy M. Tuggle - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 4, 2016.